After last season’s transformation under then-rookie head coach Tom Thibodeau, 2011-2012 was supposed to be “the” season in which Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls would fully bloom into a team that could legitimately challenge the Heat for a spot in the NBA Finals.
But something was wrong from the start.
First and foremost was the NBA lockout which kept many players away from their typical off-season workout and conditioning programs in efforts to adjust to an unknown timetable of when the season might start up again. This affected every player.
Then, Rose was the passenger in a car when his buddy, the driver, was pulled over and arrested for DUI. While Rose wasn’t in any trouble personally, surely the incident shook the quiet 23-year-old who goes out of his way to keep his personal life private.
But things seemed to turn around in late December as Rose agreed to a five-year contract extension worth a whopping $94.8 million just days before the start of a shortened NBA season.
The much-deserved reward from his Chicago bosses would prove be the high point of Rose’s season which turned ugly quite quickly as the All-Star guard suffered a myriad of injuries.
Toe, back, groin foot and ankle injuries forced Rose to miss 27 of the Bulls’ 66 regular season games. Rose had only missed six games in his first three NBA seasons combined.
The Bulls logged a respectable 18-9 record without Rose and held on for the No. 1 seed in the East, despite the frequent absence of their superstar.
It was only fitting, in sports’ version of a cruel shakespearean tragedy, that Rose would wilt for good late in his team’s first playoff game against the Philadelphia 76ers, sidelined for up to eight months with a torn ACL in his left knee.
Kyle Korver said after the game, “It’s the saddest win,” as Rose’s teammates were clearly shell-shocked by the severity of his injury and the impact it would have on what was, just minutes earlier, a postseason full of promise and potential.
Leading the series against the 76ers 1-0, the Bulls have enough talent to dispose of Philadelphia, even without Rose. As fate would have it, Rose’s teammates are fairly used to playing without him, having figured out a system that worked well enough in the regular season. Chicago’s stellar defense, combined with adrenaline and the competitive spirit will propel the Bulls for the rest of this series against an inconsistent 76ers team.
It’s the long-term prognosis that is worrisome for the Rose-less Bulls.
While the Bulls beat Miami once and Boston twice without Rose during the regular season, a seven-game playoff series is a completely different animal.
Rose is so important to the Bulls not just because of the points he puts up, but because of the opponent’s perception of him as a scoring threat, forcing double teams which allows open looks for his Bulls teammates.
Who will opponents double team now? It won’t be Carlos Boozer or Joakim Noah. They SHOULD be the guys drawing a double team but they won’t be because neither is consistent offensively warranting the additional attention. Rip Hamilton and Kyle Korver certainly won’t draw the double team, thus the big guys shouldn’t get many easy scoring opportunities down low.
Ideally, opponents tried to force Rose to shoot outside instead of driving the lane, the place where he often put on a spectacular show while having his way with the defense. With veteran guard C.J. Watson set to start in Rose’s place, the defense will strive for the opposite in forcing Watson closer to the rim rather than allowing him to shoot from his comfort zone outside of the key.
This will be Luol Deng’s time to shine, even brighter than he has already this season. He has to make good choices and consistently execute offensively. Boozer, whose biggest knock as a pro has been that he doesn’t play up to his potential, finally has the chance to prove the haters wrong by stepping up and leading my example.
The biggest challenge for Chicago, in this series at least, will likely be mental, not physical. Losing your MVP can shatter one’s psyche. The Bulls have to find a way to quickly shake off the stench of losing Rose and focus on the immediate task, which is the 76ers.
I was lucky enough to cover the Boston Marathon when I worked for Comcast Sportsnet New England as it was easily one of the top five reporting experiences I had in perhaps the best sports town in America.
Boston turns into a different city on Marathon Monday as thousands cheer on complete strangers with genuine excitement and toast each other in the streets as Patriots’ Day is a state holiday. It’s sad to think that what is, by far, the best day of the year, at least for Bostonians, could take a turn in the direction of tragedy.
Unfortunately the Philadelphia Marathon took that tragic turn Sunday as two runners died while participating. According to CBS News, race organizers confirmed the deaths of a 21-year-old Asian male and a 40-year-old white male.
The younger man collapsed at the finish line while the latter collapsed just a quarter-mile from the finish line. According to CBSNews.com, “CBS Station KYW reports that both runners were taken to Hahnemann University Hospital where they were pronounced dead of apparent heart attacks.”
It looks like the weather wasn’t a factor as, “cool temperatures, light winds and mostly cloudy skies were the rule during the race, which began at 7 a.m.,” according to CNN.com.
Much like the Boston Marathon, the route in Philadelphia is not only scenic but historic, taking runners past, “Betsy Ross’s house and the Liberty Bell, in and out of Fairmount Park, and through districts such as Manayunk and University City,” according to CNN.com.
Unlike some marathons the race in Philadelphia, in it’s 18th year, is open to everyone and does not require a qualifying time.
The identities of the deceased have not yet been released as their families are still being notified.
Just last month a 27-year-old woman gave birth just hours after finishing the Chicago Marathon while 39 weeks pregnant.
